Freescale first unveiled i.MX6 processor family at CES 2011. Since then NXP has acquired Freescale, and kept working on the processors and even recently unveiled NXP i.MX 6ULL Cortex A7 processor promising 30 percent more power efficiency than its nearest competitors, and designed for “cost-effective solutions for the growing IoT consumer and industrial, mass markets”. NXP i.MX 6ULL key features and specifications: CPU – ARM Cortex A7 core @ up to 528 MHz with 128KB L2 cache Memory I/F – 16-bit DDR3/DDR3L, LPDDR2 memory support Storage I/F – 8/16-bit parallel NOR flash / PSRAM, dual-channel Quad-SPI NOR flash, 8-bit raw NAND flash with 40-bit ECC, 2x MMC 4.5/SD 3.0/SDIO Port Display & Camera I/F Parallel LCD Display up to WXGA (1366×768) Electrophoretic display controller support direct-driver for E-Ink EPD panel, with up to 2048×1536 resolution at 106 Hz 8/10/16/24-bit Parallel Camera Sensor Interface Peripherals 2x USB 2.0 OTG, HS/FS, Device […]
ARM Unveils Cortex-R52 ARMv8-R CPU Core for Safety-Critical Systems
ARM has introduced their very first ARMv8-R real-time 32-bit CPU core with Cortex-R52 designed for safety-critical applications in the automotive, industrial and health-care markets. It has been designed to address higher workloads with increased performance (up to 35%) compared to Cortex-R5 processor. The processor should be used in systems capable of fulfilling IEC 61508 SIL 3 and ISO 26262 ASIL D functional safety requirements. ARM explains the new processor address both random errors for example bit flipping from radiation, and systemic errors more related to software or design faults. The latter can be addresses with the right development processes, including following aforementioned functional safety standards, but random errors require some extra hardware features such as ECC memory, or dual core lock step processors, where instructions are run on two processors simultaneously and results compared. Normally, the whole software stack must be validated and certified on safety-critical systems, even for part […]
u-Blox Unveils SARA-R4 LTE Cat M1 and SARA-N2 NB-IoT Modules for Professional IoT Applications
While I’ve mostly read about SigFox and LoraWan solutions for long range, low power, and low bitrate communications for the Internet of Things so far, there are many active of planned LPWAN standards for IoT applications, and 3GPP Release 13 standard stipulates two LTE LPWAN standards, namely LTE Cat M1 (eMTC) and LTE Cat NB1 (NB-IoT), with the former supporting 1 Mbps downlink and uplink peak data rates, and the latter 250 Kbps downlink, and 250 Kbps (multi-tone) or 20 Kbps (single tone) uplink data rates. U-Blox has released modules for both standard with SARA-R4 LTE Cat M1 and SATA-N2 NB-IoT modules. SARA-N2 Cat NB1 cellular module specifications: LPWAN Connectivity – 3GPP Release 13 NB1; NB-IoT bands: 5, 8, 20; downlink: 227 Kbps, uplink: 21 Kbps Positioning – GNSS via Modem Interfaces – 1x UART, 1x SPI, 2x GPIO, 1x DDC(I2C) for GNSS Features – Antenna supervisor, embedded IPv4 & […]
VersaLogic Osprey is an Industrial & Military Grade Intel Bay Trail Single Board Computer
Versalogic Osprey “Embedded Processing Unit” (EPU) is a single board computer powered by Intel Bay Trail-I CPU modules with 2 to 4GB RAM, up to 8GB flash, dual Gigabit Ethernet, two mini PCIe slots, working at industrial temperatures (-40 to 85°C), and compliant with MIL-STD-202G military standard for shocks and vibrations. VersaLogic Osprey VL-EPU-3311 specifications: SoC Intel Atom E3845 quad core processor @ 1.91GHz with Intel HD graphics or Intel Atom E3827 dual core processor @ 1.75GHz with Intel HD graphics or Intel Atom E3815 single core processor @ 1.46GHz with Intel HD graphics System Memory – 2GB or 4GB DDR3L (soldered) Storage 8GB eMMC flash with E3845 model; 4GB eMMC flash with E3827 model; no flash for E3815 model MicroSD slot SATA 2.0 port with latching connector mSATA via mini-PCIe slot Display Single-channel 18/24-bit LVDS up to 1024×768 @ 60Hz Dual mini-DisplayPort++ with HDMI and audio support up to […]
Arduino Industrial 101 Board Powered by Atmel AVR and Atheros AR9331 WiSoC Targets Industrial IoT Applications
Arduino boards were first used by hobbyists, educators and their students, but in recent year more and more professional engineers have started to build prototypes with Arduino boards before moving to the design of the final product. Arduino Srl went further by designing an industrial grade board, namely Arduino Industrial 101, combining an Atmel AVR for real-time I/O control, and a Qualcomm Atheros AR9331 for WiFi connectivity. Arduino Industrial 101 (A000126) specifications: Arduino part MCU – Atmel ATmega32u4 AVR MCU @ 16 MHz with 32KB flash, 2.5 KB SRAM, 1KB EEPROM Digital I/O Pin – 20, with 7 PWM and UART Analog Input Pins – 12 DC Current per I/0 – 40 mA Operating Voltage – 5V Linux (LininoOS) part (101 Industrial LGA “Chiwawa” module) Processor – Atheros AR9331 MIPS processor @ 400 MHz System Memory – 64 MB DDR2 Storege – 16 MB flash WiFi – 802.11 b/g/n […]
Olimex A20-OLinuXino-LIME2-eMMC Board Replaces NAND by eMMC Flash for Better Performance & Reliability
A20-OLinuXino-LIME boards are the most popular development board sold by Olimex, likely thanks to reasonable pricing, and Allwinner A20 is one of the rare low cost processor to features an actual SATA interface and Gigabit Ethernet support. The company has now launched a new version A20-OLinuXino-LIME2-eMMC, based on A20-OLinuXino-LIME2-4GB, but replacing the NAND flash by an eMMC flash that should offer both better performance and reliability. A20-OLinuXino-LIME2-eMMC specifications: SoC – Allwinner A20 dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU @ 1.0 GHz with dual-core Mali 400 GPU System Memory – 1GB DDR3 Storage – 4GB eMMC flash (Micron), SATA data and power connectors, micro SD slot, 2KB EEPROM for MAC address and custom data Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet Video Output – HDMI up to 1080p60 USB – 2x USB 2.0 host ports with power control and current limiter, 1x micro USB-OTG with power control and current limiter Expansion – 160 GPIOs on four […]
Orbitty is a $175 Carrier Board for Nvidia Jetson TX1 System-on-Module
Connect Tech had already launched Astro carrier board for Nvidia Tegra X1 based Jetson TX1 CPU module, which they also integrated into Rosie Military Grade Embedded mini PC. Since them the Canadian company had also introduced a low cost “Elroy” carrier board , and more recently, a third cheaper baseboard called Orbitty selling for $175 and up, and including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 & 2.0 ports, HDMI, and more. Orbitty (ASG003) carrier board specifications: Compatibility – Nvidia Jetson TX1 system-on-module Storage – micro SD slot Video & Audio Output – 1x HDMI Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45) USB – 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x micro USB 2.0 OTG port Expansion Header – 20-pin header with 2x 3.3V UART, I2C, 4x GPIO, etc… Power Supply – 9 to 19V DC via terminal block Dimensions – 87 x 50mm Operating Temperature – -40°C to +85°C The carrier board targets robotics and unmanned […]
Rosie is a Military Grade Embedded mini PC Powered by Nvidia Tegra X1 Processor
Rosie, who also goes under the less fancy name ESG501, is a rugged embedded computer made by Connect Tech, powered by Nvidia Tegra X1 octa-core 64-bit ARM processor, compliant with MIL-STD 810g and DO-160G certifications for shock and vibrations, and IP67/IP68 ingress protection ratings for dust- and water-proofness. Rosie ESG501 specifications: SoC – NVIDIA Tegra X1 octa core Cortex A57/A53 processor @ with 256-Core Maxwell GPU System Memory – 4GB LPDDR4 Storage – 16GB eMMC Video Output – 1x HDMI Type A Video Inputs – 4 x Parallel or CSI-2/MIPI camera sensor inputs via SMA connectors Connectivity – 2x Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000) RJ-45 ports, 802.11ac 2×2 WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0 (up to 24Mbps) with two antennas USB – 2x USB 2.0 Type A port Serial – 1x RS-232 with Modem (TX/RX/RTS/CTS) Power Supply – +9V to +36V Dimensions 163.6mm x 108.0mm x 96.3mm (without mounting brackets) 163.6mm x 146.1mm x […]